English is one of the 'core' curriculum subjects. Every effort is made at Hillborough to ensure that each child reaches their full potential in English to enable them to take full advantage of all other subjects offered.

There are four main strands to the English Curriculum:

Speaking and Listening

Reading

Writing

Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation

Speaking and Listening is undertaken individually, in groups, and as a whole class. Our ultimate aim is to improve confidence so all children can contribute in class or whole-school assemblies. The ability to speak clearly, using appropriate language, in a variety of situations is something we constantly strive for.

A child needs to be able to read fluently and with understanding at an early age. Children are encouraged to read, listen to and discuss many different types of fiction and non-fiction. This is done individually, in groups, and as a whole class. We encourage books to be taken home and we ask your help in hearing your child read as often as possible. Each class will examine a number of class readers throughout the year. The choices available to each year group often have an underlying theme; these may relate to issues the children may encounter in life or have covered in their Creative Curriculum lessons. An example of this is "Goodnight Mr Tom" by Michelle Magorian which relates to the Year 6 topic, WW2.

Once a child is a competent reader written work is less onerous. We use numerous strategies in order to encourage children to write more freely and confidently unaided. All children are taught to write across different genres; fiction and non-fiction. We encourage children take a pride in their work and its appearance and to always strive to do their best.

Programme of study (statutory requirements)

SPOKEN LANGUAGE

Pupils should be taught to:

listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers

ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and build vocabulary and knowledge

articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions

give well-structured descriptions and explanations

maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments

use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas

speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English

participate in discussions, presentations, performances and debates

gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)

consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others

checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context

asking questions to improve their understanding of a text

drawing inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence

predicting what might happen from details stated and implied

identifying main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarising these

identifying how language, structure, and presentation contribute to meaning

retrieve and record information from non-fiction

participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say.

WRITINGTranscription

Pupils should be taught to:

use further prefixes and suffixes and understand how to add them

spell further homophones

spell words that are often misspelt

use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary

write from memory simple sentences, dictated by the teacher, that include words and punctuation taught so far.

Handwriting

Pupils should be taught to:

use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined

increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting, e.g. by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch.

Composition

Pupils should be taught to:

plan their writing by:

discussing writing similar to that which they are planning to write in order to understand and learn from its structure, vocabulary and grammar

discussing and recording ideas

draft and write by:

composing and rehearsing sentences orally (including dialogue), progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures

organising paragraphs around a theme

in narratives, creating settings, characters and plot

in non-narrative material, using simple organisational devices such as headings and sub-headings

evaluate and edit by:

assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements

proposing changes to grammar and vocabulary to improve consistency, e.g. the accurate use of pronouns in sentences

proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors

read aloud their own writing, to a group or the whole class, using appropriate intonation and controlling the tone and volume so that the meaning is clear.

Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

Pupils should be taught to:

develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 by:

extending the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of conjunctions, e.g. when, if, because, although

using the perfect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and cause

choosing nouns or pronouns appropriately for clarity and cohesion and to avoid repetition

using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause

using fronted adverbials

learning the grammar in column 1 of year 3 and 4 in Appendix 2

indicate grammatical and other features by:

using commas after fronted adverbials

indicating possession by using the possessive apostrophe with singular and plural nouns

using and punctuating direct speech

use and understand the grammatical terminology in Appendix 2 accurately and appropriately when discussing their writing and reading.

Years 5-6 programme of study (statutory requirements)

READINGWord reading

Pupils should be taught to:

apply their growing knowledge of root words, prefixes and suffixes (morphology and etymology), as listed in Appendix 1, both to read aloud and to understand the meaning of new words that they meet.

READINGComprehension

Pupils should be taught to:

maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:

continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks

reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes

increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions

recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices

identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing

making comparisons within and across books

learning a wider range of poetry by heart

preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience

understand what they read by:

checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context

asking questions to improve their understanding

drawing inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence

predicting what might happen from details stated and implied

summarising the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas

identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning

discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader

distinguish between statements of fact and opinion

retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction

participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously

explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary

provide reasoned justifications for their views.

WRITINGTranscription

Spelling

Pupils should be taught to:

use further prefixes and suffixes and understand the guidelines for adding them

spell some words with ‘silent’ letters, e.g. knight, psalm, solemn

continue to distinguish between homophones and other words which are often confused

use knowledge of morphology and etymology in spelling and understand that the spelling of some words needs to be learnt specifically, as listed in Appendix 1

use dictionaries to check the spelling and meaning of words

use the first three or four letters of a word to check spelling, meaning or both of these in a dictionary

use a thesaurus.

Handwriting and presentation

Pupils should be taught to:

write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by:

choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding, as part of their personal style, whether or not to join specific letters

choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task (e.g. quick notes, letters).

Composition

Pupils should be taught to:

plan their writing by:

identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own

noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary

in writing narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings in what they have read, listened to or seen performed

draft and write by:

selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary, understanding how such choices can change and enhance meaning

in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action

précising longer passages

using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs

using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader (e.g. headings, bullet points, underlining)

evaluate and edit by:

assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing

proposing changes to vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to enhance effects and clarify meaning

ensuring the consistent and correct use of tense throughout a piece of writing

ensuring correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choosing the appropriate register

proof-read for spelling and punctuation errors

perform their own compositions, using appropriate intonation, volume, and movement so that meaning is clear.

Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation

Pupils should be taught to:

develop their understanding of the concepts set out in Appendix 2 by:

recognising vocabulary and structures that are appropriate for formal speech and writing, including subjunctive forms

using passive verbs to affect the presentation of information in a sentence

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